An Israeli drone fell in the southern suburbs of Beirut, dominated by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, and a second drone exploded near the ground before dawn on Sunday, a Hezbollah official told Reuters.

People in southern Beirut say a large explosion has shaken a Hezbollah stronghold and triggered a fire.

A few hours earlier, late on Saturday, the Israeli military attacked targets near Syria's capital of Damascus in what it said was a successful effort to thwart an imminent Iranian drone strike on Israel, stepping up an already heightened campaign against Iranian military activity in the region.

Residents of the Beirut district rocked by the explosion say the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group sealed off the area.